Blind Love
by Kibaikasu
Summary: T-Y, W-L. His ultimate dream was to return to the world from which he was forcefully ripped from. But, every dream has a price to pay. Now, blinded from the world he learned to love, he will undertake the ultimate test of character. Will he survive?
1. Prologue

Prologue: The Lost Sight 

By: Chikujin

Disclaimer: Anything Final Fantasy belongs to Squaresoft! And don't you forget it!

          'Why did I bother coming back…' thought Tidus, standing across the Calm Lands feeling the breeze blow his long hair back.

          It was three years after they had beat Sin. For the first of those three, he had labored endlessly to return to his new home…. to his Spira. The last two years however, he had spent training, and learning to accept the price that he paid when he returned. The effects were instantaneous, and as a result, he could never fulfill his promise to Yuna.

          'Yuna…. how I long to be with you…. but I dare not burden you with my burdens love. You will be…. happier without knowledge of my existence.'

          He had spent the next two years building his home in the Calm Lands, practicing, training his senses to exceed their limits. His Caladbolg had been modified, now leaving trails of vibrating sound waves that allowed him to perceive his surroundings, to memorize his landscapes….

          He reminisced back to that fateful day three years ago, when they dealt the final blow to Yu Yevon. Their celebration was cut short by his painful departure, a departure that he will never forget.

          _'I love you…'_

          Yuna's parting words still echoed in his head as he thought back to that one moment. They haunted him… taunted him….

          'No…. it's too late kid….. she has her own life now…. Get it into your head! You CAN'T go back!'

          He sighed and instead thought about the physical changes that he himself had gone through. His hair of gold had become long. Long enough to be tied back into a ponytail. His muscles had bulged considerably after his years of training. Not enough to be considered buffed, but enough for him in his opinion. There was, however, one article that he could not, no, didn't want to thing about. His….

          "Tidus. Must come back in. Is getting dark."

          Tidus sighed, blessing the Ronso behind him for helping him and taking care of him when he needed it.

          "Sure thing Kimahri. Sure thing."

          He turned around and followed the sound of the Ronso's footsteps in the grass, picturing his surroundings as the sounds depicted for him. His final thoughts as he entered his cabin was probably the most depressing of all.

          'Yuna…. if it can be avoided…. I promised you I'd come back…. but now I have to break that promise…. I refuse to burden you…. to place upon you, the burden….. of a blind man….'

To Be Continued……

A/N: Well people, whatta ya think!? It's only a prologue…. the actual story chapters are much longer than this, but first I need reaction! Review, please! Tell me what you think! I live off of feedback and criticism…. just please, no flames….. please? Well, until next time, I'll be watching you……


	2. Always Hoping, Never Accepting

Always Hoping, Never Accepting 

          "YUUUUUUUUNIIIIIIIIEEEEEEE!" yelled out Rikku as she looked around for her cousin. She had been looking for the last hour all over the town of Besaid and had no luck. It was as if she had completely disappeared. Rikku was started to get frustrated as she neared the beach shore. 

          She was about to yell out again, when something caught her attention. A shrilling whistle could be heard all around the beach. Whoever was doing it was doing so quite loudly. She looked around, but couldn't see anyone on the beach. She was about to turn back though, when a glint of white caught here eye in the water. She looked closely and came to realization.

          Yuna had waded out into the sea again, whistling for everything she was worth. She had first started doing this everyday for the first year after Sin and Yu Yevon had been destroyed. Gradually, it had decreased, but never fully stop.

          "Ohhhh Yunie, frah femm oui cdub rindehk ouincamv mega drec?" she asked herself in her native tongue.

          She shook her head and headed back to the village. She entered Wakka's hut, where most of the former Guardians were assembled. Three were obviously missing: Auron, Kimahri, and Tidus. Rikku shook those thoughts from her head, however, and greeted what was left of their 'family.' Kimahri had disappeared two years ago on a trip to Mount Gagazet. The only thing he does is sends post cards and presents to Yuna every now and then, and assured her that he was fine.

          "Hey Rikku, ya found Yuna yet?" asked Wakka, spinning World Champion around on one finger, obviously bored.

          "She's in one of her moods again. She's at the beach whistling her heart out."

          Lulu sighed. "She's been doing this more and more within the last two months. I thought it died down last year, but it only just started up again."

          "She's hurting herself by doing this," said Rikku. "Guys, we have to do something to snap her out of this!"

          "For once, Rikku's right,". "Guys, we have to do something to snap her out of this!"

          "For once, Rikku's right," said Wakka, earning a glare from said girl. "We gotta find some way to snap her outta dis."

          They all sat there thinking in silence. After ten minutes, Wakka exclaimed, "Hey, I know! Maybe we should take Yuna to Luca!"

          "Luca?" asked Lulu. "Why in the fayth's name would you want to take Yuna to Luca for?"

          "Well, da new blitzball season is starting up dis Saturday. First match is de Aurochs against da Goers, and I've had da team in intensive training, ya?"

          Lulu frowned, going in deep thought. "I don't know Wakka. Seeing blitzball again might only worsen her mood. Remember, Tidus used to be a blitzball player too, or have you already forgotten?"

          Wakka thought a second before answering, "Ya, dat might be a problem, but hey! You forget dat Yuna used to watch blitzball eva since she was a little girl. Who knows, the event might play out on her either way, but hey, it's better dan doing nothing, ya?"

          "I think it's a good idea!" Rikku exclaimed all of a sudden. "It might cheer her up or make her sad, but either way, it would mean that Yuna will be away from Besaid for a while. She won't be as cooped up as she is now. I think that a change in scenery would do her good!"

          Wakka and Lulu looked at her baffled, eyes wide as dishes. Wakka, unfortunately, was the first to recover.

          "Ya know way Rikku? I dink dat dat's de most sense I've eva heard come outta ya since we first met you, ya?"

          "SHUT IT WAKKA!"

          ***BANG!***

          "Owwww………. dat hurt…….."

          She kept whistling into the wind, hoping, praying to any deity that looked over to them that he'd come back to her. It started with the dreams two months ago. Dreams of Tidus and Kimahri, somewhere familiar, yet never being able to place it. It was a calm place, tranquil and full of sunny weather and beautiful landscape. It was weird. She could never hear what either of them said, but she noticed one thing though: the sash that Tidus kept tied around his eyes. The sash mystified her. He wore it wherever he went, whether it was training, or eating, or even sleeping. It didn't make any sense to her, but then again, sense was the last thing she worried about.

          'Those dreams…. they seem too real to just be dreams…. Tidus, love, where are you…."

          She whistled again, letting the winds carry the sound with it wherever it went, hoping that Tidus heard it and that he'd come back.

          "Tidus…" she whispered to herself. "Everyday you're not with me a little more of me dies….. please Tidus….. come back to me love….."

          Tidus woke up with a start. Had he really been dreaming that? It was night time in the Calm Planes, and everything was quiet except the sound of his heavy breathing. 

          'Jeeze…. what was that? Too real to be a dream…..'

          Tidus shook his head. 'Sleep now, think in morning,' he thought to himself as he laid back in his bed. However, that dream kept his mind racing. After an hour of restlessly laying there he gave up. He got up on his left side of the bed and felt for Caladbolg. He swung it carefully, making sure not to hit anything. Slowly, the sounds resonated across the room and back, giving him a mental picture of his surroundings. He swung a few more times, getting mental glimpses of the silently running grandfather clock in the corner of his room. 

          'Five in the morning… bet Kimahri's already up and running. Wonder if he made coffee…'

          He sheathed his sword as soon as he found his walking stick. Tapping it on the floor ahead of him as he went along, he managed his way around. Although the taps weren't as efficient as the resonating sound of Caladbolg, it was safer than waving the damn sword around. He was about to go outside, when it started. Rain. Lot's of rain. 'Oh boy. Hope Kimahri isn't out there,' he thought with a smile before noticing the familiar effects of the rain. Each rain drop produced a unique sound, therefore giving him a view that was just as good if not better than the resonating sounds of Caladbolg. 

          He propped the stick under his arm and made his way towards the kitchen. As expected, a smoking hot cup of coffee was waiting for him on the small kitchen table.

          He sat down and started to slowly sip his scorching black coffee while pondering on his most current dream.

          'So….. Yuna can tell that I'm alive….. she can probably tell when I'm close by too….. maybe it wouldn't be a good idea to go to Luca after all…..'

          The sudden smell of wet cat informed Tidus that Kimahri had indeed been outside and had just arrived in the house. He felt the smell grow stronger as he heard the ***squish, squish*** of his bare, soaked, fur covered feet. 

          "That was Kimahri's coffee," he mumbled as he wearily walked in. 

          "If it keeps raining when I'm done, I'll make you another batch."

          "That okay. Only Ronso know how to make Ronso special blend."

          "Really? What's in it?"

          "Fertilized Ronso beans."

          ***PHTTT!***

          Kimahri smiled in satisfaction as Tidus excused himself and hurried to the bathroom, hoping that it didn't stop raining all the way there so as not to trip and hurt himself.

          Kimahri then sat down and took the abandoned mug and chugged down the remaining contents. He purred, and said to himself, "No one messes with Kimahri's coffee….."

          Fifteen minutes later, Tidus managed to make his way back, feeling a little better. "That was a dirty trick Kimahri," groaned Tidus, all the coffee now out of his system. "A low and dirty trick. I'm lucky that it hasn't stopped raining, or I'd have probably hurt myself."

          "Kimahri no like it when people take away coffee. Kimahri getting old. Need good coffee in morning," was his reply. 

          Tidus just groaned and decided then and there that he would only drink decaf from now on. They were silent until Tidus remembered that he needed to tell Kimahri about what happened.

          "Listen Kimahri, I know this is gonna sound a little weird, but I need to tell you something."

          He then proceeded to tell Kimahri about the dreams he had been experiencing for the last two month, including his most resent one just a few hours ago. And hour later Tidus finished and Kimahri stood there in silence. After a minute, Tidus began to worry that the Ronso had fallen asleep. "So, what do you think?" he asked, just to make sure.

          He heard some shuffling before hearing Kimahri's answer. 

          "Dreams mean nothing. Dreams help mind rest."

          Tidus sat there, pondering. He had gone to school while in Zanarkand, and had learned something similar in his Neuroscience class a long while ago. 

          'These dreams though….. they go beyond anything I've ever heard of…..'

          The more he thought, the more he got confused. 'Maybe I should just ignore them….. yeah, Kimahri's right. Dreams are just that. Dreams.'

          They sat there in silence, until, surprisingly, Kimahri broke the silence. "So you still plan to go to Luca?"

          "Of course! I have yet to miss an opening season game since my return, and I'm sure as hell not gonna start now!"

          "Then we pack today. Is long walk from here to Luca, we must leave tomorrow."

          Tidus nodded, just as the rain started to die down slightly, much to his displeasure. 

          "I'll make my way back to my room then. Since all of my clothing are the same, I won't need to worry about what goes with what."

          That much at least was true. Tidus wore now wore a black muscle shirt, black leather pants, black hiking boots, and a black sleeveless trench coat to hide Caladbolg. 

          He sighed, as he made his way to his room to start an early packing. 'Well, at least the came should be interesting…..'

To Be Continued……

A/N: Alrighty then! That concludes this chapter. Hopefully, it'll measure up to your expectations. If not, review or email me at chikujin@spidefreak.zzn.com and I'll see what changes I can make. Well, that's about it. So until next time, I'll be watching you….. 


	3. Shadow

Chapter 2: Shadow 

          He sat Indian style in the dojo behind his home. Wind chimes were attached to the ceiling of it; the only part of the house to have any at all, as the Calm Lands are always windy, and can cause the chimes to cause a ruckus during the nights. This particular night however, found no pity or rest for Tidus.

          Blindness. It was his price to pay to return to Spira. He remembered the shock that found him as the pain had slowly ebbed in him, the white hot energy burning at his very eyes, taking away the one asset that he truly ever believed that he had. Now, at age 22, he felt just like any other blind man: he had nothing left to loose.

          He quickly stood up, snapping himself out of his thoughts and pulled out Caladbolg with extreme speed and precision and danced. He moved from stance to stance, going through attack after attack, defense through defense. He let his gut, instincts, and other senses guide him, forming the pictures of his surroundings in his mind. He swung and swung at his imaginary opponent, more and more accurate with each successful swing, more accurate than he had been his entire life. 

          He paused in mid stance, letting the Caladbolg  resonate for a split second. Someone else was there, sneaking behind him. He felt the lung and quickly moved aside. Hearing the sound of whatever fiend that had attacked him, he let the resonating sound come to him. He smiled, realizing just what the fiend was. He quickly charged and swung. The fiend however, was prepared this time. The fiend parried the blow and swung it's own weapon. Tidus ducked and stabbed upward towards the fiends neck and froze, just a millisecond away from penetrating it, and smirked as the fiend froze in place.

          "Look like Tidus get back Kimahri for stupid Ronso Bean joke," he mocked as he took Caladbolg away from Kimahri and sheathed it. He heard Kimahri mumble "Kimahri no sound like that…" before saying "Tidus has improved greatly. Tidus can now defend himself again."

          "Thanks Kimahri," said Tidus. "Thanks a lot….. you really don't know how much it means to finally be able to fight again. I really do owe you a lot."

          "Kimahri do anything for Yuna's friend."

          Tidus stopped smirking at the sound of his loves name. He sighed heavily, not wanting to ponder on her for too long, for fear of what he might do or say. Instead, he changed the subject. "Did you find Shadow yet? I've been whistling for him all night before getting tired and coming in here."

          "Kimahri find Shadow near watering hole. Shadow waits outside."

          Tidus nodded towards Kimahri's direction and went outside the dojo. He let Caladbolg's sheath. As the mental image popped up, he saw the figure of his short friend, as well as guide, Shadow.

          At first glance, Shadow might have just looked like any regular guide dog, but a closer inspection tells us a different story. Shadow is a gray wolf. His hide is a steel gray color, and has blue eyes. However, as cute as he might look, he holds a power within him that no other beast or fiend can have – the ability to merge. Tidus no longer uses his old Overdrives, but now uses Shadows merging ability. Once he is merged with Shadow, his strength, speed, agility, and senses increase by incredible amounts, making both Shadow and himself a very dangerous and lethal opponent.

          Tidus looked down at the figure of the animal before him. "Hello Shadow, it's been quite a while since I last saw you old friend."

          The wolf trotted up to him and licked his hand in a friendly manner. Tidus smiled. At least he had a few friends left that he could rely on. "Tonight we're going to start our journey to Luca. There's gonna be a lot of people on the way, so you need to behave yourself. Okay?"

          He heard Shadow whine a little and started chuckling. "Yes Shadow, you have to. And that means no whizzing on Kimahri's leg in the middle of the street like last time."

          This time, a growl came out of him. Tidus frowned. "Now I know that you don't like Kimahri, but you have to mind yourself. If not it's Kimahri's Ronso Bean coffee for you."

          He heard a second whine telling him that Shadow got the picture. "Good boy. Now come on. We need to finish packing."

          "But Wakka! We've still got two weeks and the trip from here to Luca is only three days!" whined Yuna. They were in Wakka's hut, where everyone had slept the night before from lack of energy to get up and go home.

          "Ya, dat may be true, but if we wanna beat da crowd, we better be der really early, or else we'd be in a stickier predicament den da last time, ya?" explained Wakka.

          "As much as I hate to admit it, he does make a good point," exasperated Lulu.

          "Hey! What's dat supposed to mean, ya!?" exclaimed Wakka, sounding offended.

          Lulu smirked mysteriously at him before getting up and leaving. 

          "Hey, come back here! I ain't done wit you yet!" yelled Wakka, chasing after her. Yuna giggled at their antics and heard a gasp behind her. "Yunie! That's the first time you've laughed in years!" squeaked Rikku, coming out of her own room. 

          "Thanks Rikku." She did have to admit to herself, ever since the dreams became more clearer, her mood had been getting better.

          "Oh my god! YOU'RE SMILING TOO!?"

          "RikkuUUUUUUUUUUUU!" she didn't have time to complete the thought before Rikku started her attempt at squeezing the life of the human being in front of her, consequently, her cousin.

          "OH YUNIE, YOU DON'T KNOW HOW HAPPY I AM!"

          "Rikku… can't… breath…"

          "Opps," mumbled Rikku, dropping Yuna. Somehow she had managed to lift her cousin off the floor, cutting off her breathing and circulation. "Sorry Yunie."

          "Keep that up and Tidus might not have to wait that long in the Farplane," said Yuna. She then walked out of the hut and made her way down to the beach, leaving a stunned Rikku alone.

          "She cracked a joke… SHE CRACKED A JOKE! AND IT WAS ON TIDUS!"

          Yuna smiled as she walked down the shores Besaid Beach. She knew why she was in such a good mood that day. Her dreams had started to become more vivid….. more detailed. She now knew that Tidus was afraid. He was afraid to come back for some reason. 

          She still didn't recognize the house that he stayed at, but the houses surroundings did seem familiar to her.

          'He's in the Calm Lands. Tomorrow we go to Luca, and from there… I just need to find a way of loosing them…'

          She walked on, formulating a plan to get her to where she needed to go…..

          To Be Continued…

          A/N: Well people, there you have it – Chapter 2 good and done. Or at least, in my opinion it is. Also, another thing. This story is the first of it's kind, to me at the least. I have yet to see a story with a 'Tidus is blind' scenario, and therefore, can't understand for the life of me why there aren't more people reading this. No, I'm not discontinuing this, but I'm merely requesting what few ARE reading to spread the word on this fic! The more reviews I get, the faster I upload! AND unlike the other fics that I've started, I know where this one is going. It'll be from around fifteen to twenty chapters long, so get ready for a long one. 

          …I guess that's it. So keep reading, keep reviewing, and until next time True Believers, I'll be watching you…


	4. The Blind Lead The Blind

Chapter 3: The Blind Lead The Blind 

          He took a quick sniff of the air around him and immediately regretted it. It had been two years since he had last been to Luca and had forgotten how much the city stank. He cringed and told Shadow to guide him to the inn, where he told Kimahri he'd meet him. 

           Tidus sighed. It had taken them a little over four days to get there using the shortcuts that Kimahri provided them. He was only grateful that the store clerk that had helped him restock didn't recognize him.

          'Then again, with long hair, barely anyone can recognize me…' he though. He hear Shadow bark and knew that they had arrived.

          "Tidus late," he heard Kimahri say.

          "Sorry. Got held up at the shop. Couldn't see what I was getting," he replied, grinning sheepishly.

          "Hmph," was Kimahri's reply. "Come, we must rest. Game start later today."

          Tidus obliged, but knew that he wouldn't get any rest today. That's because he knew something that Kimahri didn't. Kimahri didn't know that as a blind man, his senses were now beyond that of the Ronso himself.

          'She's here… I can feel it… her scent was in the shopping district… Rikku, Wakka, and Lulu are here too… damn, this complicates things…'

          He entered his room, already paid for courtesy of the Ronso, and clanged Caladbolg with his fist, making it resonate. He let the sound wave come back to him, letting him visualize his surroundings. Not much difference than the other inns, he noted. He went to the bed and lied back, thinking of all possible ways of avoiding the old crowd. A sudden movement told him that Shadow had joined him and found the new warmth next to him. A whine told him that Shadow was worried.

          "It's okay old friend. I'm just worried about avoiding the others is all."

          Suddenly, he felt a unwanted and unexpected moisture and stink on his face.

          "ACK! Okay, okay! I'm better," he laughed as he tried to get Shadow to stop licking him.

          A loud and deafening bark told him that the wolf was happy again. Tidus chuckled at the childishness of the animal.

          "Go to sleep boy, I'll wake you up when it's time," he said, wanting to think alone.

          As the dog rested, Tidus went to the window and took a long sniff of the air… and nearly choked.

          'So close… she's here… she's staying in the inn…'

          Yuna sighed. The trip by boat had been hell. So much had reminded her of Tidus it made her weak at the knees.  To make things worse, not one dream came to her during those three days.

          She waited now in the lobby of the inn as Lulu paid for the rooms. 

          'Hopefully, I can sneak out of the city while the game is going, then I can make my way to the Calm Lands… I'll have to move fast though, or else they'll catch up with me.'

          "Yuna? Time to go," yelled Rikku from the other side of the room, catching the attention of everyone in the lobby.

          Yuna blushed. 'Great, that'll put a hinder in my plan. They'll all know I'm here…'

          She walked quickly and silently, trying to avoid as much human contact as possible.

          'God, why can't I ever be left alone…' she thought as Lulu showed her to her room.

          As she entered and closed the door, she swore that she heard some sort of dog bark next door. 

          Just as her door closed, the door next door opened to reveal Tidus coming out of his room. The air was thick with so scent. He sniffed around. It was too fresh… way to fresh…

          'Holy $#^+!" thought Tidus. 'She's next door!' 

          Knowing this, he quickly rapped Caladbolg and quickly made his way in the direction of Kimahri's room.

          Quickly, he whispered to him. "Kimahri, it's Tidus. Can you here me?"

          In his room, his sensitive Ronso ears caught the question. 

          "Yes, Kimahri can here you."

          "Pack all you're things, then go to my room and get my bags. Yuna is staying here, and there's no way I'm gonna risk getting caught," he whispered harshly.

          There was a pause before Kimahri said "I can't do that."

          "_What_!?" whispered Tidus in a sharp voice. "Why!?"

          "Yuna can feel when Kimahri nearby. It result of spell that Summoner Braska cast on Yuna as baby. You have to do it…"

          ***BOOM!***

          The ground shook beneath him and he heard the rumble of the walls around. He concentrated on his hearing and heard a loud roar in the distance.

          "Fiends…" he whispered. However, before he could move, he also heard another sound. Laughter. An evil laughter that he could recognize even if he was half way across the world.

          "Seymour…"

          He rapped Caladbolg yet again and made his way to the outside. As the resonating sound came back to him, he gasped at the image before him. Fiends upon fiends where feasting upon the population of Luca. 

          'There's too many. I need help… oh damn, I know I'm gonna regret this…'

          He put his thumb and index finger in his mouth… and whistled. Again. And again, and again and again.

          Yuna was stuck. Something must have blocked her door and she had no way out now except her window. She quickly made her way to it and opened it. She was about to climb out when she gasped. That sound… that whistle…

          'That whistle… I know that whistle anywhere…'

          She stuck her head out but quickly put it back as the window next to hers shattered. She looked on to see some type of dog… no, more like wolf, dive out and run towards someone. She squinted her eyes, but couldn't see the figure in the distance. She sighed and climbed out of the window herself before chasing after the wolf. Somehow, she knew that wherever the creature led her, Tidus wouldn't be far.

          Tidus curse. He knew he would regret summoning Shadow like that, and now Yuna was on his heals. He could here them approaching, but didn't have time to act. He heard one of the fiends approach him from behind as well.

          'Aw, screw caution. Fight first, run later.'

          "SHADOW! MERGE!"

          He heard the howl of Shadow and the cry of Yuna as he felt the Merger commence…

  
To Be Continued…

          A/N: Well, here's the next chapter. Didn't expect THAT one, now did you? Not much action in it, but I swear I'll make it up to you guys in the next one. So what does Seymour want THIS time? And how did he even escape the Farplane? All will be revealed in the next chapter! So keep reading, keep reviewing, and until next time, I'll be watching you…


	5. Spirit Wolf

Chapter 4: Spirit Wolf 

          She chased after the wolf, weaving in and out of fiends and humans alike. She knew that he was close, and that's when she heard it. His voice.

          "SHADOW! MERGE!"

          She watched as the wolf started to glow an intense green and then, with a deafening howl it lunged at him.

          "TIDUS!" she screamed in fear as the wolf dove into his body. She came to a halt, looking at the transformation that was taking place before her, not knowing completely what it was doing…

          His muscles started to expand, a green glow slowly but surely becoming visible beneath the black sash that covered his eyes. He felt his senses increase ten fold and reveled in the feeling, the pain, and the pleasure. He let out a feral growl before sheathing Caladbolg, and let out a piercing howl into the air, startling all the nearby fiends. 

          Then, what no one around him expected to see started happening: an aura started to form around him. Tribal markings now visible on his face and glowing with power, the aura started to intensify, concentrating into a definite form until it surrounded his body completely. Now, all that was left was the green form and outline, of a werewolf.

          With a vicious cry, the wolfish figure that was Tidus lunged for the nearest fiend and swiped at it with it's aura-claws. The fiend was easily cleaved in two before fading into multiple pyreflies. Again and again he made his way through the fiends, leaving none alive in his wake.

          From the distance of the outer city, a figure stood, watching the battle before him. 

          "Hmm, looks like the spirit wolf can merge with the Son of Jecht. Now I begin to regret giving up my Banish spell," muttered the figure. "… oh well, no real loss. I'll find a way to take my revenge… not now… but soon… meanwhile, lets have some fun…"

          The figure raised his arms as pyreflies started to take shape in the distance…

          The wolfish Tidus was beginning to wear. It seemed that no matter how many fiends he killed, two more took their place. It was a never ending stream.

          Finally, the strain became too much, and with a deafening howl, the glowing werewolf dissolved and revealed Tidus and Shadow in it's place. Shadow seemed to be fine, but Tidus was exhausted. Still, he could feel the fiends closing in. He took out Caladbolg and prepared for the fight of his life.

          "Shadow! There was a girl following you earlier. Find her and protect her at all costs!" he commanded. He heard a whine and quickly said, "Don't worry about me, I'll be fine. Now GO!"

          Shadow barked and took off, zigzagging through the waves of fiends, trying to find the familiar girl.

          Tidus now smirked as he waved Caladbolg around, allowing it to resonate in all it's glory. "All right guys," he mumbled, realizing that he was surrounded. "Lets see if you can take me on now that I ain't got nothing to lose…"

          He gripped Caladbolg and charged. 

          Yuna collapsed after casting Holy yet again. She felt exhausted and depleted of magical energy. She quickly looked through her supplies for an elixir, but found none.

          'Damn, that's it for that. Time to test out Rikku's new gift then,' she thought. She then proceeded to take out two hand guns and started to fire away. Any and all fiends who were unlucky to get near her suddenly found themselves riddled full of holes as they vanished into pyreflies. After a few minutes though, she started to run low on ammo. She needed more clips, but her stash was in her room though…

          ***HOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOWL!*** 

          She jumped when she heard the feral cry. She also nearly feinted when she heard a piercing shriek behind her. She turned around to see the wolf from earlier attacking, clawing and biting a flying fiend that had managed to sneak behind her.

          'The wolf's…. protecting me? Did Tidus tell it to do that?' she speculated, but didn't dwell on it long as she fired another round at another swarm of fiends before instructing the wolf to follow her and made a dash for the inn.

          Quickly she made her way through the panicking crowd inside and to her room. Once inside, she shattered all the glass on the window and swept it away with the remainder of her magic. She then looked through her bag and drank one of the elixirs in there, restoring all her reserves.

          'Ah, that's _much_ better!' she thought as she took out tons of clips and attached them to the sockets in her belt. She then made her way to the window and observed what was going on outside… and nearly feinted at the site before her.

          Tidus fell down to one knee, exhausted and low on reserves. Caladbolg now resonated more dully, covered in the blood of the fiends, yet even with the dull sounds, he could feel that he was surrounded. 

          'This is it…' he thought as he felt them closing in. 'It's now or never.'

          He forced himself up and took his position. Swinging Caladbolg to bring it back to full resonance and to shake the blood off of it, the images around him became clearer, sharper. That's when he noticed it…

          It was making it's way towards him and he knew it. A gigantic dragon-like creature. Although he couldn't tell colors, he could feel the white hot glow of it's eyes…

          He dove out of the way as he felt the sudden change in temperature, just in time to avoid the jet of hot flames that had erupted from the creature's mouth.

          'I don't stand a chance against this thing…' he thought desperately, trying to come up with some sort of plan. 'It seems to be after me only… I've got to lead it away from the city…'

          He dove out of the way of yet another Fire Blast and made a mad dash for the cities edge, slicing and dicing any fiend that got in his way. He could hear and feel the thundering footsteps of the gigantic creature behind him. 'It's working!'

          He finally started to smell the difference in the air and quickly swung Caladbolg around. The resonating sounds around him showed him wooded lands. He had made it out of the city. He sighed in relief, and searched himself to find his recently bought potions and elixirs had survived the ordeal. 'Well Kimahri, looks like you'll have to get my stuff from the inn after all… no way I can show my face in Luca again…' and then he remembered about his other friend.

          "Shadow!" he suddenly yelled. "I leave you in Yuna's charge! Take care of her!"

          And with that said, he sheathed Caladbolg and, bringing out his collapsible walking stick, he started on the path back to the Calm Lands.

          The figure silently watched as Tidus shook off his creation. 'So… he has learned how to pick his fights… you surprise me every day son of Jecht…'

          With a wave of his hand, the gigantic dragon burst into a heap of pyreflies and disappeared to the Farplane. The figure then smirked…

          "I now have all the information I need Tidus… rest assured that we will meet again… and this time, I won't let you off so easily…"

          Yuna sighed in relief as she saw the fiends clear out of the city. It had been a most unusual attack. They came out of nowhere and positively fled at the site of that black scaled dragon.

          'I wonder what caused them to do this though… they normally stay away from populated areas…'

          A sudden movement caught her eye. Shadow's head had popped up, almost as if he had heard something that she didn't. After a few moments, he started whining, and trotted up to her a licked her palms. Yuna practically melted at the sight of the sad wolf  and sat down next to it. It then laid down next to her and laid it's head on her lap, showing its gratitude for the show of affection it was receiving. 

          "You're a good boy Shadow," mumbled Yuna, petting the wolf as if it were her own pet. "You're a really good boy."

          She stayed like that for a few minutes before she heard a knock on her door. 

          "It's open!" she said. The door opened to reveal, much to her hazard, Rikku.

          "Yunie, are you OH MY GOD IT'S SO CUUUUUUUUUUUUUTE!"

          She rushed up to the now aware wolf. It was about to growl, but wasn't even given the chance as Rikku rushed up to is and started ruffling it's fur. A snarl from it made her back off and finally notice what it really was.

          "Oh sweet god, Yunie that's a WOLF! Get away from it, quick! I'll distract it!"

          Yuna giggled at her cousins antics before saying "It's okay Rikku, he's my friend. He protected me during the attack. I guess it only likes me… Rikku, maybe you better go before he bites you."

          Rikku paled as the words escaped Yuna's mouth, and rushed out off the room faster than you could say 'live and let live.'

          Yuna grinned. "So… you're Tidus's friend, eh?" she asked. It barked it's response, making her grin grow wider. "You know… there's a lot of confusion going on right now outside… how about we pay you're friend a little visit…"

          To Be Continued…

          A/N: This one's just a tad bit longer than my other chapters, running slightly over 1500 words. At the request of many (mainly Dragoness Eve, who should be updating her own story soon… ***hint, hint, nudge, nudge*** ) I'll also try to make my chapters longer, but just take heed of this: if I make them longer, updates will take longer due to the time behind writing the extended chapters. I'll make them slightly longer at first, then gradually increase until I can more or less write at least 2000 words per chapter. Also, I'm starting college soon, so that might also hinder my updating, but just remember, this fic I WILL see through to the end. 

          I would also like to take this time to especially thank kingleby, for her promise to advertise my fic in the next chapter of her own story, a FF9 fic by the title of 'A new soul for the angel of death.' Although I myself can't read it (mostly cause I've yet to play FF9), the story itself sounds appeasing enough and would be worth a read. I would also like to thank Dragoness Eve for her moral support, and is also the genius author of the story Final Fantasy 8 Continued, a wonderful story taking place after the game, involving the kids of the FF8 gang! A must read for any FF8 fan out there!

          Well… I think that's it for now. So keep reading, keep reviewing, and until next time, I'll be watching you…


	6. Reunion at Macalania

Chapter 5: Reunion At Macalania 

          He had been traveling for two days already and he still hasn't received any word from Kimahri. He would have expected him to be searching left and right for him…

          He had just exited the Thunder Planes, which was in itself quite an entertaining place, now that he could sense when the bolts came down… well… lets just say he'll need no more dancing lessons…

          Now, he made his way towards the wooded area ahead. He could suddenly smell water ahead. But this smell though, was… different…

          It hit him then. The smells of the forest and the water, the sounds, the feel of this place…

          'Dear god…' he thought, and instantly knew that he'd get no more traveling done today. The memories, the tears, they were weighing down on him… he had arrived at Macalania.

          He made his way to the forest and through the clearing, running into the occasional fiend. Five minutes later, he arrived at his destination: Macalania Lake.

          He stopped before the lake, taking in everything he could, the familiar smell, the feel of the calmness around him… so many memories.

          He felt a single tear escape the confines of his sash and wiped it away quickly.

          "Damn it boy, get it through your head!" he whispered to himself. "She'd do better without you in this state! Better to forget about her… yeah…"

          He settled down for a second before he started to set up camp, thanking whatever higher being the people worshiped nowadays for letting him stop by at the Thunder Plains item shop for more supplies. 

          He stopped for a moment to listen to the sounds around him. After a few minutes, he determined that indeed, it was night.

          "Oh well," he muttered to himself. "No use wondering about the past." 

          He laid down in the sleeping bag on the ground and fell asleep… or at least… he tried too. After two fruitless hours, he gave up. Thoughts of Yuna and their escapade in the lake were haunting him, plaguing his every thought.

          "Yuna…" he whispered, "I wish I can be with you… but not like this… not like this…"

          He sighed as he felt the burden within him get heavier as he pinned for his other half. 'If only this didn't happen… if only I could still see…'

          Yuna was almost out of breath. She thanked whatever higher being was up there that the receptionist at the Thunder Plains item shop had recognized Tidus, even with his changed appearance. What struck her odd though, was the strange behavior that Tidus had displayed. He was obviously wearing that sash over his eyes again, not that she hasn't seen him without it in her dreams, and neither in real life…

          Ever since then she had doubled her pace, doubled her speed, hoping to catch up with Tidus soon. Shadow trotted next to Yuna, apparently happy that it was on it's way to being reunited with his old master.

          She decided to break once she reached Macalania Forest, wanting to regain her strength before moving onward. She stopped at the entrance of the forest and sat down at the base of a nearby tree. She then let her mind drift, bringing back fond memories… she could remember when she first came through here… the scene at Macalania Lake played through her mind… that kiss… her first kiss… that was astronomical… she could still remember how it felt to have his lips on her… the feeling of comfort coming off of him, embracing and surrounding her…

          She sighed, not knowing what to think now. She wasn't dumb, and knew that Tidus was avoiding her for some reason… she just needed to know why…

          A sudden movement caught her eye. Shadow's head had snapped up and was sniffing the air around him. He barked loudly and jumped up. 

          "Shadow?" she questioned. "What's…" before she finished the thought, Shadow let out a piercing howl and made a dash for the woods. 

          Tidus found himself kneeling down next to the lake, drinking it's crystal clear waters when he nearly choked at what he heard. That howl, he'd recognized it anywhere… but what got to him was the voice that came after. 

          "Shadow! Slow down or you'll be dragging me not pulling me!"

          He started shaking uncontrollably. That was clearly Yuna's voice…

          'Okay T-man, think! How can you avoid Yuna this time… think!' 

          Then it came to him, the lake! He took out Caladbolg and swung it several times to get it to resonate, then quickly swam and dove into the water. As a former blitzball player, he could hold his breath for a long time. He then realized that as long as he kept Caladbolg resonating, he could hear and visualize better in the water! He was literally submerged in sound!

          He waited and waited, until he felt the disturbance. He froze in place, not knowing what to do… he could tell that it was human, and felt it coming closer… but… it couldn't be… 

          He jumped as he felt arms wrap around him and quickly scrambled away, surfacing fast. He heard the other person surface next to him, and froze. That contact told him everything…

          "Yuna…"

          "Hello Tidus," she said. He winced at the venom that came from her voice. She was obviously pissed… 

          "… wow. I, uh, didn't expect to see you…"

          "Shut up," she snapped quietly. Tidus shut his mouth and didn't make a sound. He knew that this was it. This was the moment he was hoping would never come. The moment he would have to burden her with the truths he so desperately tried to hide.

          "How long, Tidus? How long has it been since you came back? And I want the truth too! I can tell when you lie…"

          He sighed. He was caught. 'It's now or never kid,' he thought.

          "Three years, Yuna. Three years," he said.

          There was silence before…

          ***WHAP***

          Tidus's head snapped to his right as he felt the painful contact of Yuna's palm on his cheek. 'That connected… but I could feel it coming though… why didn't I stop it?'

          -Because you deserve the pain.- The voice of reason. He hated it.

          "All this time…" whispered Yuna. "All this time, you've been here… and you didn't even try to look for me?"

          "Believe me Yuna, I did try. I would've kept trying…"

          "BULLSHIT! THAT'S BULLSHIT AND YOU KNOW IT! I WANNA KNOW WHY YOU'VE BEEN AVOIDING ME TIDUS, AND I WANT TO KNOW NOW!"

          He felt himself wince. His spirits were being crushed by the second, and he knew the time has come. 'You deserve pain… you deserve pain…'

          "Yuna… I'm blind," he whispered.

          "What was that?" she asked menacingly. Tidus scowled. Was she _that_ daft?

          "*growl* Jeez Yuna, I'm BLIND! WHAT PART OF THAT CAN'T YOU UNDERSTAND!?"

          He heard a gasp. Obviously she didn't expect that remark. 'Damn airhead… maybe Rikku's being a bad influence on her…'

          He shook his head in disbelief and moved Caladbolg around, making it resonate enough to show him where the shore was, and started swimming towards it. He reached it and started to round the edge of the lake. He heard footsteps behind him and knew that Yuna was following him. He sighed as he reached his encampment and sat down on a log near the fire.

          "Tidus?" he heard. His heart panged for a moment and started to feel sorry for her. Her voice was quivering. She truly didn't know that he was blind…

          "*sigh* I'm sorry Yuna. I really had no right to snap at you like I did," he said. He heard her come closer to the point of him feeling her body heat coming off of her.

          "No Tidus," she said. Her voice… it sounded so soothing… "I'm the one who should apologize… I should have realized it the first time I saw that sash on you… I was just too stupid to see… I blinded myself from the truth…"

          He could feel her gaze burn into him as he lowered his head in shame. 'You deserve this pain… you deserve this pain… you deserve-'

          His thoughts were cut off there as he felt her touch his cheek soothingly. He let her guide his head up and suddenly felt a foreign presence on his lips. 

          He felt the contact sever as soon as it came and sighed. "Yuna, I can't do this… not anymore…"

          He heard nothing but silence for a few seconds before he heard her. "Why?"

          He sighed. "All blind men carry a heavy burden within them. It's something that can't be shared, because no one else understands it Yuna. If my being blind isn't enough of a reason, then that should be plenty."

          "No Tidus… those aren't reasons at all, those are just excuses," said Yuna. "Tidus, I _want_ to be with you. I _want_ to share your pain and your burdens. It's my choice if I want to stay with you, I'm also a grown woman."

          "Yuna," he said. "I can't do it. It hurts too much." He paused to hold back tears. He'd be damned if he caught himself crying now. "I know you're there, I can practically feel you here… but I can't _see_ you. I won't be able to see the sun rise and set with you anymore. I won't be able to tell if you did your hair, or did something special with yourself. I… I don't know if I can live with that Yuna… and our promise too. I promised to take you back to the Moonflow to see the pyreflies with you at night… now I can't even keep that promise…"

          He heard Yuna sigh. He nearly sighed himself. This was exhausting him and he'd have to give in soon if Yuna didn't lay off soon.

          "Tidus… I know this brings obstacles… and I may be related to Rikku, but that doesn't mean I'm daft either," she started, and smile to see a grin pop up on his face. "I know that this will be difficult for both of us, but trust me when I say we can make it work. I'll… have to get used to the new changes, but I'm willing to try Tidus. We've done the impossible before, I don't see (A/N: excuse the pun) why we can't make this work. Tidus… I love you. I always have, and I just want you to know that I'd do anything for you… anything at all…"

          He lowered his head slightly and let the silence sit there for a few moments before answering. "Yuna… I'm no one to stop you. If you really want to stay with me, I won't stop it… I love you too Yuna, but I just don't want to have you suffer because of me. If you really want to stay with me, I'll warn you now: one of the reasons we're so difficult to deal with is because of our beliefs that despite what we may have now, in the end, we really have nothing left to loose… understand, that it won't be as hard as you think… it'll be much worse… the burdens you'll partake in won't be for the weak at heart…"

          He sighed, knowing that his little speech wasn't working. He finally relented. "I just hope you know what you're getting into Yuna."

          He felt her squeal and then nearly felt deflated as Yuna enveloped him in a bone crushing hug. This time though, he returned the embrace with equal enthusiasm. The hug loosened a bit and then he felt a sudden wetness, and that's when he heard it. Sobs, sniffling… Yuna was crying.

          He tightened his hold on her and whispered soothing words into her ears as her sobs died down. He smiled a genuine smile for the first time in three years, not a grin, but a genuine smile.

          After a while of staying in the embrace he felt Yuna shift and could tell she was staring at him again. "Tidus… can I ask a favor?"

          "Anything for you Yuna," he whispered.

          "You don't have to if you don't want to… I don't even know if I should…"

          "Just ask me Yuna… you know I can't say no to you…"

          "… take off that sash… even if it's just for a moment… I want to see you're eyes again…"

          Tidus sighed. He broke the embrace and stepped back. "I'll do it for you Yuna… but I doubt you'll like what you'll see," he said. He reached back and started to undo the knot behind him. After a few seconds of fussing with it, he closed his eyes, and took it off.

          He heard her walk close and felt her hand on his cheek, caressing it. "You don't have too…"

          "No. It's about time I did this anyway… it's just hard, is all…"

          "That's okay… we'll get through it together…"

          That was all the reassurance that he needed. Slowly, he opened his eyes, and she gasped.

          White… nothing but white… there was some of the aqua blue that she fell in love with years back… but now it was hardly noticeable… it was almost completely white.

          "Oh, Tidus…" she whispered. She couldn't hold herself back anymore and leaned forward and upward, kissing him lightly at first, and slowly making it more passionate. This time around, he responded, kissing her back with equal desire. They have been apart for far too long. Off in the distance, poor Shadow had to keep his eyes covered with his paws, not at all used to the activity that they were about to engage in.

          They both lost themselves in each other that night, both merging their bodies, hearts, and souls into one complete entity… that night, their love was know…

          To Be Continued…

          A/N: ***Revised – 08/28/03*** Hey, they finally reunited! What will happen now? … well, only I know that… MUAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAAAAA! If you thought that was fluff, wait until the future chapters… more angst coming too, if that's what gets your mojo flowing. So I guess that's it. Keep reading, keep reviewing, and until next time, I'll be watching you…


	7. The Afterglow

Chapter 6: The Afterglow 

          The morning came as a godsend. The moment Tidus woke up his senses went into overdrive. He felt new… almost reborn somehow. He could here and feel more than he could have ever imagined, even after the loss of his sight. Right now he felt warm and lazy and wanted nothing more than to just bask in the afterglow of what he knew had happened. He sighed, listening to the heartbeat next to him, feeling the calming pulse of it.

          He stayed like that for what seemed like hours, until finally he felt her heart rate accelerate, indicating that she was now just waking up. He breathed deep, taking in her scent, reveling in it's sweet and savoring hint of spring flowers. 

          He felt her stir, and snuggle closer, pressing her nude form into him. Respectively, he tightened his hold around her waist, drawing her even closer to him. 

          He felt some twisting and then the slightly distastefulness of her lips on him. He ended the kiss quickly with a grin. "You want anymore of those, you'll clean out that mouth, eh?"

          He felt her slap him half-heartedly, giggling as she got up from their little spot under the sleeping bag.

          "I'm going to change now, so you better not peak!" she proclaimed.

          Tidus chuckled, sounding somewhat bittersweet. "I couldn't peak even if I wanted to Yuna," he replied halfheartedly.

          He heard the ruffling of clothes to his left and suddenly got an idea.

          She was about to put on her undergarments, when she heard it: the same resonating sound that she heard both in Luca and last night under the lake. She quickly turned to Tidus to see him waving around Caladbolg for all it was worth, grinning like an idiot with some drool coming down the side of his mouth.

          A feral growl escaped Yuna's throat as she realized what he was doing.

          "*grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr* TIDUS! PREPARE TO DIIIIIIIIIIIIIIEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

          He quickly took off, sheathing Caladbolg, but allowing it to continue resonating, and proceeded to jump into the lake. Yuna, blinded with furry and not quite thinking straight, followed him in… without clothes…

          An hour later, Yuna managed to suppress her embarrassment just as Tidus managed to gain control of his nosebleed. Apparently, he wasn't expecting quite as much detail to penetrate his mind…

          "Wow… if only I'd have known…"

          "In that were the case, I'd be performing a Sending right about now…" she mumbled, a shy smile now forming itself onto her.

          Both of them were now fully dressed and were packing up their belongings. Tidus, now with his sash securely fastened and covering his eyes from the view of the world, went on and used Caladbolg to see if there was anything left or forgotten.

          Once completely packed, they went on there way, taking every shortcut they knew, knowing that Yuna's other guardians had most probably picked up on her trail. After all, a famous High Summoner with a spirit wolf for company was a rather odd sight to behold.

          They reached the Calm Lands on the morning of their third day of travel. This, of course, was the fist time that Yuna actually saw the house in person.

          "Wow… you live here?" she asked.

          He chuckled. He had no clue what it truly looked like on the outside, just the shape of it, more or less. "I wouldn't know. I only perceive pictures and outlines from the resonating of sounds, so I can't truly tell what something looks like," he explained.

          Yuna turned to him with an arched eyebrow. "Wow… Tidus, that actually sounded… well… _smart_!" she exclaimed.

          Tidus nodded absentmindedly before he caught on. "_Hey_! I resent that!" 

          She giggled and went ahead on inside.

          As she walked in, she could see that somehow he had adorned it with pictures that they had taken during her own pilgrimage. 'Wow… I can't even remember some of these pictures being taken… but if Tidus says he can't perceive detail…'

          "Tidus?" she asked, hearing him come in. "If you can't perceive detail, who put up all these pictures?"

          "That would be my guardian," he replied. Yuna looked at him thoroughly confused. How the hell did a spirit wolf put up all these pictures by itself?

          She eyed Tidus, as he suddenly started sniffing the air, quickly and subtly.

          "It's fresh…"

          "What is?"

          "Fresh Ronso bean coffee. OY! KIMAHRI, GET YOUR LAZY ASS OVER HERE AND HELP US OUT, EH!?"

          They heard a shuffle and, to Yuna's great surprise, Kimahri came rushing out of a nearby room, fur completely soaked through, Spirit Lance in hand.

          "Where the fire! Where the fire!" he asked quickly.

          He suddenly felt himself go into a stupor as he saw what he had never hoped to see. Yuna was rolling on the floor, tears coming out of her eyes, laughing her heart out at the sight of poor Kimahri, soaked from head to toe. 

          Kimahri growled in annoyance. "Ronso's also need baths, even if Ronso's don't like getting fur wet," he said before disappearing into what she guessed was the shower.

          This statement only made her laugh even harder and by now felt as if she'd cough her heart out should she continued. Tidus merely shook his head in annoyance. "I hate the smell of wet Ronso fur in the morning."

          That did it. Yuna was beyond reasoning and only knew laughter beyond her wildest dreams. She didn't seem to notice the resonating sound of Caladbolg. She didn't notice Tidus picking her up, cringing from the noise but smiling that she was happy again. She didn't notice the small trip that they made to his room. She didn't notice the Sleep spell being cast on her…

          Tidus sighed, thanking the higher authorities that the noise had stopped. Hopefully, the small cat nap would do Yuna some good. He left her in his room to sleep and stepped out into the hallway, and immediately noticed the difference. 

          Apparently, Kimahri had taken the liberty of putting wind chimes all over the house. He guessed that if the window had been open in his room, he'd have heard one there as well. He sighed in relief, knowing that now he wouldn't have to use either Caladbolg nor his walking stick inside his home, so long as he kept some form of ventilation.

          'Maybe I should get Yuna to charm them to resonate on their own…' he pondered as he made his way to the kitchen, where a slightly puffy Kimahri was awaiting.

          "I see Tidus bring home company," stated Kimahri.

          "I put her to sleep. She's in my room now, resting up," he explained. 

          "Kimahri thought Tidus didn't want Yuna here."

          "She's a stubborn woman, she is. She wouldn't relent until I finally gave in. Apparently she thinks that we can still work it out," he explained. "As long as she's here on her own free will, I'll accept her here. I guess she really does know what she's getting into."

          Kimahri thought for a moment, before he finally responded. "Yuna have strong heart and will of steel. Yuna is not woman who is easily moved. She always follow her heart and does anything to finish what she start."

          Tidus smirked at that. "That's exactly what I had in mind," he said.

          He then stood up abruptly. "Has all of the equipment and packed stuff been taken care off?" he asked.

          "Yes. Kimahri put all clothes to wash and pack all equipment in shed. Kimahri also put potions and elixirs in medicine cabinet. Kimahri also see Shadow go towards watering hole north of here," said Kimahri, who now got up to make himself another batch of coffee.

          "Good. In that case, I'm gonna go keep an eye on Yuna. Had to cast Sleep on her just so she'd mellow down," he said. He then went out of the kitchen and made his way to his bedroom, following the sounds of the many wind chimes in the house.

          He opened the door to find that indeed, there was also a wind chimes in his room. He let the sounds come to him, forming the detailed picture in his mind.

          Apparently the Sleep spell hasn't worn off and Yuna was still asleep. 'Well, can't have her asleep all day, or else she won't sleep a night…' he thought as he extended his hands towards her eyes.

          "Esuna…" he whispered. A pinkish glow surrounded her slender form and died down fast, but nothing else happened. He frowned in confusion until he heard a giggle coming from her form. He groaned in annoyance.

          "Yuna, you know that wasn't very nice," he whined, sitting next to her.

          "Hey, I wasn't the one who cast sleep on my lover, now was I?" asked Yuna in a giddy voice that sort of reminded him of, disturbingly enough, Rikku.

          He was about to respond, when suddenly, the meaning behind her statement hit home.

          "No… is it possible that _my sweet and innocent Yuna, High Summoner of Spira is _flirting_ with me?" he asked, arching an eyebrow in mild surprise._

          "Why, of course I am. Am I not a health, living, breathing specimen of women?" she asked, pulling him down to her and twisting around so that she was now on top straddling his waist.

          "Yuna, you devil you… I had no clue you had it in you…" mumbled Tidus as he brought her down for a kiss. She smirked and whispered seductively, "Then let me show you _exactly_ what's inside me…"

To Be Continued…

          A/N: Wow… not even the author of this fic knew she had it in her. Way to score, Tidus! Anywho, I'd like to apologize for the delay on this chapter. Schools started and so has my first semester as a college student. Since I'm busy during the day and study during the night, I can only type late at night. That's also another thing. If you want to AIM me for some odd reason or other, it's best to do so round midnight or later. That's usually my typing hours. I'm a nocturnal creature and normally go to sleep around five and sleep in till noon to two in the afternoon, so that's that. 

          Also, I've been getting a lot of comments over my spelling and grammar. Let me state for the record that I _do have a beta reader (Dragoness Eve, Hyne bless her soul) and I also go over the entire contents of my chapter not finding anything that spell or grammar check doesn't detect. So I'm sorry if something slips, but I'm doing the best I can here people! Anyway, I appreciate the effort of pointing it all out, but I just can't seem to find any of the errors, so maybe you guys just see something that Eve and me can't. Just make sure to point out exactly what it is so that I might correct it for the revisions after I finish the story._

          Again, my apologies for this delay. So keep reading, keep reviewing, and until next time, I'll be watching you…


	8. Trained And Found

Chapter 7: Trained and Found 

          For the next month, Yuna helped train Tidus with his senses, and Tidus in returned trained her in sword fighting. Kimahri would sometimes join them and in no time Yuna was proficient in the sword. She now used a custom made sword called Sharp Edge. It was similar to Caladbolg, only lighter, and didn't resonate. When they didn't train, they spent as much time together as they could muster, and for the first time since he returned, Tidus was truly happy.

          A week after they had settled in, Tidus asked Kimahri, as a matriarch of the Ronso's, to wed him and Yuna. Then they booted Kimahri out of the house for two weeks and had their honeymoon, hidden from the world, just the two of them, and the quiet of the Calm Lands. For the first time since he faded from her life, Yuna was truly content, happy to finally be together with her soul mate. 

          They had just made their way to the dojo to practice Tidus's dodging ability. Yuna had loaded her hand guns with blanks, ready to shoot at Tidus, when a blur shot right past her and skidded in front of Tidus.

          "Shadow…" mumbled Tidus.

          Shadow barked and whined repeatedly and desperate, and Yuna smiled as she watched the mental conversation.

          He had explained to her that Shadow was his familiar, a creature created by ancient magic and the desire for a partner. The creature and master would be able to share feelings and thoughts, allowing for mental conversations.

          She watched as Tidus's expression suddenly became grim, then a sad smile formed on his face.

          "What is it love?" asked Yuna. "What did your little spirit wolf say?"

          Tidus sighed, suddenly feeling the weight that he hadn't felt since their reunion at Macalania Lake.

          "It appears that your Guardians will be visiting us later on today."

          Silence. It was a shock that she had been expecting, but not this soon. Her hands went to her mouth, her eyes wide in shock as she let the news sink in. Finally, she asked, "How… how long?"

          "Three hours, maybe less," he said, that small sad smile still present. "I knew we wouldn't be able to hide from them forever, but I just thought that we'd have more time, you know?"

          She nodded, totally sympathizing with him. They had just been wedded, started their new lives in seclusion, and in only a month they had been discovered.

          "Oh well," he mumbled. "However bad this might seem to be, we won't let this get in the way of our training. Warm up while I go talk this over with Kimahri over the matter. I'll have him greet them when they arrive. Shadow, keep Yuna company while I give Kimahri his instructions."

          Two hours after they had arrived in the Calm Lands, they stopped at a nearby inn to rest up. Wakka had gone on ahead to scout the area for any signs of Yuna, while Rikku and Lulu stayed behind to inquire information from the attendants of the hotel. Unfortunately however, they would always avoid their questions.

          After about an hour of asking around, they finally decided to take a break and go to the room they had rented.

          "Something's not right," stated Lulu. "They seemed to know more than they let on."

          "Yeah, but what can we do? It's not like we can use force on them, or they'd kick us out," said Rikku, looking through the wallet that she had managed to pick pocket. "Ooh, there's 700 gill in this one!"

          Lulu sighed. "Rikku, when are you gonna learn that stealing is wrong?"

          "Hey, if I didn't steal, we'd be starving!" she countered. They would've continued bickering, but the door suddenly burst open and in walked Wakka, grinning like a maniac, followed by unexpected company.

          "Well now, who'd have thought we'd be seeing old blue and hairy again," remarked Lulu, looking mildly surprised at Kimahri.

          "Yuna and husband instruct Kimahri to bring guests to house," he stated. 

          The girls stared at him like he had gone mad. "Did you say… husband?" asked Rikku. "As in… Yunie's husband?"

          The Ronso only nodded, waiting for them to pack their belongings. They stared at him like if he had suddenly grown three horns and had scales for skin.

          ***THUMP***

          ***THUMP***

          Wakka's grin widened as he saw the two girls go unconscious. "Told ya dat dey'd feint. Dat's 500 gill you owe me, ya?"

          Half an hour later, after the girls had gained consciousness and after Lulu fried the hell out of Wakka for making a bet on them, they were on their way to what they deemed was Yuna's house. 

          "When we arrive, you will sit in kitchen and wait. Yuna and husband are in middle of training now."

          "Training? What training? And who is this husband of hers anyway?" asked Rikku.

          "Husband train her in art of sword, so Yuna can protect herself if he can't do it," he stated, but avoided the second question. "That house up ahead."

          Soon they had arrived at the impressive looking flat. They entered and saw a few pictures up. Some they recognized, some they didn't. They just imagined that Kimahri might have put them up.

          They went to the kitchen and sat down around the table while Kimahri proceeded to make his special blend of Ronso Bean coffee for the three guardians.

          They soon heard a scuffling behind them and turned to see Shadow at the doorway. It made eye contact with Rikku and barred his fangs.

          "EEEEEEEEEEP! That _thing_ is here!?" she shrieked. She never really liked dogs…

          "Of course he's still here. He's the guardian of our land."

          They all looked up from Shadow to see Yuna, now clad in a more revealing version of her summoner outfit. Her guns were in hostlers around her waist with a spare clip or two in different pouches. "Down boy, don't scare our guests," she ordered. The dog whined and lowered his head in shame. Yuna smiled at him as her former Guardians looked at her like she was mad. "No boy, you've done nothing wrong, but try to be a little nicer, they _did_ come to visit me, didn't they?"

          The spirit wolf barked happily, and trotted out of the kitchen, it's spirits higher.

          As Shadow departed, they all looked at her expectedly, and she looked back with as much expectancy as them. 

          "Well?" asked both Yuna and Lulu at once.

          "You first. As wonderful as it is seeing you all again, I highly doubt that this is a social call," said Yuna, sitting down and thanking Kimahri as he handed her a mug of coffee."

          "Well, first of all we want to know what the hell you were thinking, running away like that without saying a word," said Lulu.

          "That would be my fault," said a voice from behind. They all turned and the visitors gasped. Tidus was standing there, long haired with that sash covering his eyes. Shadow was sitting next to him, panting in happiness that he was able to be next to his master again.

          "Tidus, hon, I thought you were sleeping," said Yuna, smirking as her Guardians witnessed the exchange between them.

          "Yes, well, a certain spirit wolf here thought that you gave him the okay to slobber me back to life," he said grinning. "Actually, I was wondering why _you_ didn't wake me up, seeing as we have guests present."

          ***THUMP***         

          ***THUMP***

          ***THUMP***

          They stopped talking as they heard the thumping noise nearby, only to discover that Yuna's Guardians had gone sickly pale and had feinted at the sight of their thought-to-be-dead friend.

          "… was it something I said?"

          To Be Continued…

          A/N: Hey guys. First off, I'd like to offer my _sincerest_ apologies for the delay of this chapter. I'd also like to apologize for the length of the chapter. My first excuse is college. Do you know how much work they give in PC Repair? And lets not even _mention_ remedial math. My next one is writers block. I had no idea how I was going to present this chapter, and my beta reader hasn't been on AIM lately so getting her to pre-read has been somewhat of a hassle, although I don't blame her entirely (as she has her own story to write. Go Eve!). Last, but certainly not least, I ABSOLUTELY HATE THIS CHAPTER! It's sloppy, and scattered, and seemed to go nowhere. But I promise that I'll make the next one better, for you fluff lovers. Next chapter is gonna be pure WAFF, Fluff, joy, whatever you guys call it nowadays. 

          Also, I need to do this. ***gets down on knees*** PLEEZE REVIEW! I barely go any the last time. I thrive off of them.

          Now, on a more personal note, I'd like to thank Dragoon Night, Nentikobe, WonderingWhy, chrystal-chan, Final Spirit, rock-star-vt, Dragonfire707, mistiza, Renegade Noa, Hiasha, Dragoness Eve, and any others I might have lost track off for their wonderful reviews. It is people like you guys that make me want to write! If you ever need to beg me for anything, my e-mail is chikujin@spideyfreak.zzn.com and my IM on AIM is Chikujin. I'm normally on sometime after midnight, so don't be afraid to send me an IM. 

          Well, I think I covered all the basic stuff. If you have any questions, contact me. So keep reviewing, I'll keep uploading, and until next time, I'll be watching you…


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